'Australia no longer has a functioning government': Shorten slams Coalition decision to adjourn lower house

23 August 2018 — 12:47pm

The House of Representatives has been adjourned by the government amid a battle over the Liberal leadership, with Bill Shorten arguing the Coalition is "irreparably split" and should hang their heads in shame.

Malcolm Turnbull has been told he no longer has majority support in the Liberal party room, with Peter Dutton and Scott Morrison expected to put their hand up for the leadership once a meeting of MPs can be convened.

So far 13 ministers have resigned, stepping up pressure on the Prime Minister to quit.

Mr Shorten said adjourning the lower house was a clear admission of failure and the Coalition should hang their heads in shame.

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"What I say today is not addressed to the government, because Australia no longer has a functioning government," he told the chamber.

"What I say today is not addressed to the Coalition or the Liberal Party, because they have noleader of the Liberal Party."

He said the Liberal Party was "irreparably split".

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Mr Shorten in the House of Representatives during a division to adjourn Parliament.Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

"The government may adjourn the Parliament, but they cannot outrun the weight of failure of this government," he said.

"This is the ultimate admission of surrender, of a bankrupt government, of a failed government.

"If anyone needs to depart from this place, it is not the Parliament, it is this government of Australia who has lost the confidence not just of its own backbench, not just of the opposition, you've lost the confidence of everyday Australians.

"Shame on you."

Mr Shorten said the Parliament should be talking about the drought, congestion in Australian cities and health funding rather than be adjourned.

"What a bunch of no-hopers, when they're actually putting up a resolution they don't want to go to work," he said.

"The work of the Parliament is in the chamber, not in the meetings behind closed doors, as you allocate jobs."

The government narrowly won the vote to adjourn the House of Representatives, 70 to 68 votes. The government has not sought to adjourn the Senate, where it doesn't hold the majority.

Manager of Opposition Business Tony Burke also ripped into the "extraordinary" development.

Opposition Leader Bill Shorten speaks during a vote to adjourn the House of Representatives on Thursday.Credit:AAP

"What is happening right now is the government have decided this place has fallen apart so completely that they are dissolving the Parliament for the day entirely," he told the lower house on Thursday.

Mr Burke said the Coalition government was completely self-obsessed and had no regard for Australian voters.

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"There will be no question time today because they don't know who their ministers are ... they don't know who their prime minister is," he thundered across the chamber.

"There will be no question time today because those opposite have stopped governing.

"If there was ever a government that had questions to answer, it's this mob."